Almost every time Masahiro Sakurai makes a post involving Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, speculation and theories instantly ignite in the replies about whether he is teasing the final DLC character, as is typical of Nintendo fans.
The Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's Fighter Passes have filled every other slot, leaving just one more character to be added to the game. The final Smash DLC has been a topic of contention for a long time, but no official reveals have been made yet, so fans have been spending time debating over what character is the most likely candidate. However, a recent post from Masahiro Sakuria has only added fuel to the fire.
The image Sakurai posted is immediately recognizable as a reference to a scene at the end of Terminator 2. In the scene, a Terminator is lowered into a pit of lava, giving a thumbs up as it sinks below the surface. The scene has also been referenced by other media like Doom (2016), causing speculation that the post is actually a tease for Doomguy being the final DLC fighter, adding one more to Smash Bros. Ultimate's already expansive roster.
As of right now, none of the speculation has any official confirmation, and the final DLC character is still unknown to the general public. On top of this secret, Sakurai voiced concerns recently about fans using his image to represent their own values and ideas. He posts many debug screenshots of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate online, but the majority of the images simply end up being innocuous screenshots, despite fans clamoring to glean insight into who the next fighter would be.
Historically, Sakurai's screenshots tend not to be teases for new fighters, instead just showing off references or sharing screenshots that look interesting. Highly-discussed characters historically are not often added as DLC, and Doomguy is among the most discussed additions at the moment. As of right now, it seems the post that has fans talking really is just a Terminator reference. Regardless, with so many fans discussing Super Smash Bros. Ultimate with such intensity, it is abundantly clear that Sakurai's work has many fans. This is a main reason why Sakurai plans to continue in the game industry according to a recent interview.
Sometimes Nintendo speculation ends up being confirmed, but more often than not fans highly hope for something that does not end up materializing - with some even adding Smash Bros. content themselves if the character is popular enough. Hoping for something unconfirmed is an easy way to become disappointed. Sakurai and the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate team are undoubtedly keeping the final character secret for a reason, and fans will have to wait to see if it ends up being a highly requested character or a completely unexpected one.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is available now for Nintendo Switch.